All Those Little Things
by Jehricka
Summary: Jehricka Mel'Romen; orphaned at a young age in the jungles of Stranglethorn. After her parents were grotesquely murdered by the cannibalistic jungle Trolls, an early Darkspear wanders upon the scene. Rated T for semi-graphic violence .
1. I

**A/N || Hey there, everybody. I know it's been a long time since I've updated 'Her Blessing, Her Curse'. I plan to do it eventually, as I've saved up all the chapters, including the one I was working on some time ago. Between WoW, last grueling years of high school, and now college, I haven't had much time to go back to it, but it will be finished in time. After reading this, you may notice that there will be many short stories to follow; all WoW-related. Mostly… This is because I've taken to heart my character on the RP realm I play on. The originals have been posted on our guild's forum site but I won't link that to you, because I wouldn't want to get in trouble, I'll just post them on here. Anyhow, below is the first story I ever wrote for her. In the next story, I'll give you a bit of a background on her.  
This story focuses mainly on the death of her parents, and how she came to be raised by the Darkspear before their migration from Stranglethorn to Durotar. Enjoy! ;]**

**xXx**

With a chuckle, he turned around in his chair, propping his elbow on the table and combing his fingers through his spiked, ebony hair.

"She's certainly your child," he muttered with a grin.

Turning toward her husband, she tucked her snow white hair behind her ear and smiled an adoring smile.

"Don't forget that she's yours, too."

"Of course. How could I?"

The two chuckled before she easily set the used plates into the filled water tub. Rolling up her sleeves, she dove her delicate hands into the water, rounding a wash cloth over the polished ceramic surface.

"Ryka," he muttered softly.

"Mm..?" Rykaria turned slightly, eyes on the dishes.

"I think that I should take her tomorrow . . . "

Rykaria stopped suddenly and rested her hands on the edge suddenly and rested her hands on the edge of the basin.

"Daemian . . . Truly?" A small smile crept up onto her lips and her azure eyes sparkled happily, watching as her husband nodded.

"Oh, Daemi . . . She's been dying to go. She'll love it!"

He laughed. "Yeah, I'm excited too . . . "

Rykaria giggled, stray hair falling into her eyes. "Mm . . . I can tell." She grinned, her smile lighting up the room.

Daemian watched her, his strong features softening, seemingly falling in love all over again. Blinking, Ryka watched her husband and laughed. However, it was short-lived. She turned her head and peered out the open window, her ears tipping back.

Shifting, Daemian stood slowly and peered over at her. "Go upstairs . . . "

Without a word of objection, she nodded and walked up the steps slowly, shaking the water off her hands and further drying them on her apron.

Daemian removed the dagger sheathed up inside his sleeve, opening the door of the house slowly. He stepped outside and observed the surrounding jungle, taking in the cool, damp scent of shrubbery.

---

Rykaria hummed softly, stroking the ebony hair of the young girl in the bed she sat on. She smiled fondly at her, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on the forehead of her daughter.

The girl's eyes fluttered open and she smiled slowly, squirming out of her blankets and waving with her fingers.

"Hi, Mommy . . . " she cooed in quiet Thalassian.

Rykaria laughed softly, brushing the bangs from the small girl's face. "Hello . . . " She leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose gently. "...A kiss, starry eyes, rosy cheeks, and a happy girl in the morning . . . "

The girl smiled and snuggled back into her bed, closing her eyes as sleep took hold of her once more.

---

Daemian sighed and turned, shaking his head. He wandered back into the house and gripped the door. He gasped as a dark blue, and three-fingered hand grabbed his face, yanking his head backwards. A second hand tore an ill-smoothed blade across his throat, ripping the flesh carelessly in a jagged design and shredding the elf's wind pipe. He fell to the ground with a thud, blood pouring down his front as the Troll drove the blade through his stomach. He writhed in pain and gargled, coughing blood as his attacker crouched, ripping the abdominal fissure apart, shoving his hand into the stomach of the elf and proceeding to disembowel him, throwing his entrails to one side. He stood suddenly and pounded on the door with his fist four times, the surrounding forest coming alive immediately.

A band of similar forest Trolls bolted toward the house and slid savagely to the floor, swarming Daemian's corpse like Rocs. One removed a horrid knife and grabbed a handful of the elf's hair, sawing his scalp away from his skull, while his comrades dug sharpened teeth into the tough muscles of his biceps and the soft flesh of his neck.

The steps creaked and each Troll looked up quickly, snarling as they breathed. Rykaria froze in place and stared back at them, her eyes watering as she sobbed silently. Her dire situation dawned on her and, immediately, she turned, bolting up the steps and into her daughter's room once more.

Watching her mother press her weight to the door curiously, she obeyed when she was told to hide. Wiggling under the tight fit between the bed and the floor, she snuggled the stuffed Pandaren plush and jumped as something charged the door.

After a few more bursts of weight to the door, she watched the feet of her mother give out, sending her to her back while the door shattered to pieces, raining onto the floor. She bit down on the ear of the Pandaren and watched silently.

Rykaria screamed, punching and kicking at the Trolls, her voice resonating in the ears of her daughter. The Trolls seized her, finally, one on each limb, pinning her to the floor. A fifth Troll climbed on top of her and shredded her clothing. The Troll removed his loincloth and shifted, forcing himself into the elf savagely.

As much as she wanted to, the girl couldn't turn her eyes away from her mother. She watched the Trolls take her in turns, making her mother cry, scream, and call for help. She wondered why her father wasn't there . . .

At last, one of the Trolls brought his head down swiftly and tore the side of Rykaria's throat away, chewing and swallowing the mouthful of flesh. A soundless scream was plastered on her face, as her torn jugular showered blood onto the floor in front of the bed. The girl froze as she felt the drops rain onto her face.

The Trolls swarmed again, ripping the hoop from her naval and taking large chunks of flesh from her stomach and breasts. Rykaria let her head fall to the side, looking at her trembling child under the bed. With her last bit of strength, her hand glided over the floor, fingers reaching toward her, but to no avail.

Opening her mouth, she looked frantic as her daughter cooed the word "Mommy." However, it was the last thing she heard her daughter say as a blunt stone axe fell downward, shattering the woman's skull and crushing her head.

The girl gasped and bit harder onto the ear of the Pandaren, watching as the Trolls continued eating and disemboweling, tearing so far through her abdomen that all that remained after a while was a blood-soaked section of a spinal chord, planted precariously in a set of hips.

She prayed, hard, for it to stop. She wanted them to leave, get out and just never come back. As if answering her prayers, gunshots from the newly established expedition camp resonated through the jungle. After removing the scalp of Rykaria's corpse for a prize, the Trolls scattered.

It took a long moment for her to speak, but when she did, she was cautious.

"...Mommy..?" She watched Rykaria's remains and bit her lip.

"...Mommy..? ...Momma!" She called louder.

"Poppa?!"

No answer.

"Poppa!!"

Tears streamed down the girl's blood-speckled face. Her cries grew louder and painful, weighing down on her chest. She called for her parents through her sobs, finally stressing herself so much that she fell into a coughing fit. She choked and tried to catch her breath, sniffling once before she fell unconscious, gripping her Pandaren tightly.

---

---

Moving through the carnage slowly, the young Trolless made her way upstairs. She eyed the elven corpse, frowning as her braids hung around her teal face lazily. She licked her lips and inched toward the body, kneeling down. She lifted the limp arm by its dainty wrist, turning the inner veins toward her, lowering her head and opening her mouth. She stopped suddenly and followed the elf's opposite arm with her eyes, peering at the small fingertips sticking out from beneath the bed. With her stomach growling, she crawled forward, grabbing the tiny wrist and pulling.

Surprised, the Trolless eyed the unconscious elven child before her. Her stomach ceased its protesting as an even stronger natural instinct took over. Her red-orange eyes softened and she slowly pet the child's head, stirring her.

The girl lifted her head and looked at the Trolless for a long moment before bursting into tears. Blinking, the priestess shushed her, lifting the girl and holding her comfortingly against her bosom. She stroked her hair and respectfully bowed her head to the mother's corpse, muttering something in an unfamiliar tongue before standing. She walked from the house, the girl in her arms, and approached the shoreline.

---

Sputtering and coughing erupted as the Priestess poured water onto the head of the child. She squirmed in the tub and eyed the Trolless wearily, looking to the side as she tried to take in and familiarize herself with the surrounding hut.

"D'ere, now . . . " The Trolless smiled, wiping the girl's face clean with a sponge. "You been t'rough a lot, I t'ink . . . "

The girl simply looked at her, seeming slightly confused.

"...You be undastandin' me, now..?"

She nodded slowly and wiped her nose.

"Dat's good . . . " She smiled down at the child. "Hm . . . You be havin' a name d'ere, den?"

The girl held her breath in her cheeks and closed her eyes as more water was poured onto her head. She moved her bangs carelessly from her forehead and exhaled, looking up at the Trolless again. "...Jehricka."

"Ah . . . Dat be a mighty pretty name... But I be t'inkin' dat its too grown up for such a small child . . . Chu got any name you like bein' called..?"

Confused at her question, Jehricka shook her head slowly.

"Eh . . . Dat's not'in ta be ashamed of. Lesse, now . . . I t'ink I'll jus' call you Jehri . . . You be likin' dat..?"

'Jehri' kept her childishly confused face and gave a slow nod. The Trolless just laughed. "...I be takin' care o' you now . . . Dat be okay?"

Another nod.

"Good . . . Chu be callin' me 'Mi'sa'." She gave another smile to the child and received a very weak and uncertain one in return . . . But it made the Trolless's grow even brighter. She lowered a hand and gave Jehri's head a loving pet. Hopefully, she could do right with this child.


	2. II

**A/N || Right... I didn't point it out in the previous author's note, but this is a series of shorter stories pertaining mainly to Jehricka's past and childhood, so it will be updated as I get around to writing them and they'll be uploaded in no particular order, but I'll see if I can organize them once I feel like I've been spent on the stories.**

**xXx  
**

"Why do you not release, dear Cerigosa?" echoed a not-too-distant voice. "Why remain in this mangled heap of carnage?"

The corpse of the elven woman remained motionless, frosty hair bloodstained and suffering a scalping. Despite the masses of flesh and tissue that had been torn away from her body in horrid chunks, her extended hand twitched. Slowly, the corpse lifted itself to its feet, giving a soft burst of light to enshroud itself in a blinding aura. The light faded, revealing the restored elven body. The high elf's ultramarine eyes fluttered open. She took a moment to observe her surroundings, but almost instantaneously gripped her hair, throwing herself about the bloodied room, screaming in agony.

Again, the deep voice erupted from nowhere in particular. "...Poor thing... What have the years away from me driven you to..? Not to worry," he soothed. Through his voice, the elven woman continued with her mournful, heart-wrenching screams, slamming her back against a propped-up mirror, and shattering it to pieces. "I shall take you somewhere to ease your fragile mind... Return to me, my dear."

The room melted away slowly, setting the elf on the polished, stone platform hovering within the center of the cosmos. In the distance, rifts sparked and quivered, begging to release their energies (which some did) and allow their chaotic magicks to swirl about the space. Within the center of the platform, sat a large globe, set into a glacial stand. Its aquatic blue insides swirled in a lazy wind, the aura around it pulsing and humming like the sigils of incantations carved into the platform's surface.

The small woman shook and quivered as she breathed slowly, releasing her hair as she lifted her head, peering around. The slices on her back bled slowly, sticking her stained hair in place. A large hand rested itself atop her head, petting the silken locks that reside there in an attempt to comfort. "My dear, dear Cerigosa... I hate to see you in such a state..."

There was a long silence, before the hand lifted and the man it belonged to turned his back to the woman, sighing. "If anyone could have eluded even myself for so many years, it would be you, wouldn't it? And, when I finally find you... Not only have you hidden yourself behind the shell of a mortal, but you've adopted the lifestyle in every way possible..." His voice was eerily slow, much like the calm before the storm. The woman seemed to sense this quickly, ears tipping back. "I suggest you explain yourself. Have you truly come to love those who will either bend to your will and power, or hunt and kill you in fear? You were supposed to be the 'knowledgeable'... Yet... I see nothing but foolishness! You put me to shame! Did I not treat you well?!" He demanded.

The woman scrambled over and grasped the bottom of his robes, bringing them to her lips and lavishing the fine silk in kisses. "Please... Please, My Lord... I did not wish to upset you! Never, not once, was it my intention! Please, believe me! Please forgive me!" She pleaded.

"Enough! You dare come to me asking for forgiveness?! You have damaged me beyond words with your thoughtless, stupid and childish actions!"

"No! My Lord! I should not have left you, but you had changed! You have changed, so dearly, and I could not bring myself to remain by your side... I was frightened of what you may do, of following the path you had chosen! But... Please, My Lord... The child I bore for the elf, she is still in the jungles! She-... She will do great things! I know this for certain! Please, we must go back for her! We must! I must-!"

"I will have no more of your foolishness!" He roared, trembling the platform beneath his feet. Rifts exploded in the distant space, their sparks joining other rogue ones that swirled idly about the cosmos. "You can no longer hide behind your mortal form from me! I will punish you for your insolence!"

The man grew tall at a rapid pace, leaning forward as his hands grew claws, fingers rigid and arching. His robes fell away from his figure as a pair of leather wings tore through the fabric on his back. His tanned skin dulled to cobalt, scales appearing in a domino effect over the entirety of his body. The wings gave a great flap, the force of the wind produced sent the elven woman tumbling backward, rolling across the platform.

Looking upon the great, bearded Aspect, she shook with fear. Her jaw clenched as he glared down at her with eyes ablaze with rage. "You dare defy me?! Then, I will force you back to that which you clearly do not want!"

A scream erupted from the girl's throat and she hugged her stomach, slamming her forehead on the floor as she doubled over. Her spine pushed itself against her skin, seeming to grow in size and causing her to grow taller in result. From her spine, an azure pigment tinged her skin, bleeding out along her body. Clearly in great pain, she pulled her arms from around herself with difficulty, planting her hands on the surface of the platform, and clawing at the polished rock as her nails extended and expanded, turning midnight blue and talon-like.

"Resistance does nothing! Stop being so foolish! The pain will subside if you stop trying to keep that ridiculous form!" informed the male dragon.

The girl groaned, throwing her head back as her back bled more. It was obvious that she had a gash on her forehead from slamming it to the ground, for blood was trailing into her eyes, now a glowing and brilliant yellow. Her tailbone pushed through her lower back, extending to a long, lizard-like tail, which swished back and forth. At the same time, a pair of wings exploded from her shoulder blades, expanding to a much smaller span than the male's. They pulled in quickly, quivering in pain as, finally, a pair of horns pushed out of her skull from behind her elongated ears. Surprisingly, they did not stand upright. They were thick and ridged as many were, but angled in a horizontal direction and curved around, much like a ram's but only curling in slightly. A large, cobalt spike appeared at the end, to tip off both horns. The hollow sheaths of keratin were adorned with dazzling sky sapphires, and thin strips of silver that dangled regally from the very tips of the spikes, glittering wildly against the circling sparks.

Not long after the horns had appeared, the small elf had been completely replaced by a rather breathtaking female dragon. She tossed her head slowly, the curved spines that protruded down the center of her back and neck flexed restlessly as she adjusted to her new form. Her crimson blood dried itself quickly on her fluorescent, silken azure scales. She was maybe half the size of the male, if not smaller, with a thick tail that swept the ground of the platform lazily. Her wings stretched, then folded at her back and she raised her large head, peering up at the other hovering over her.

He let out a low growl. "And to think you hid yourself in the form of a magic-hungry mortal!" He spat. "How could you stoop to such a pathetic, despicable level?!"

The young female did nothing, simply staring at him with her glowing, golden eyes.

"You dare look at me that way? You dare act as though you are superior to me?!" He swooped down and landed before her, taking a mighty sweep at her with a taloned hand. One of the claws ripped the skin above her cheekbone and the force from his hit practically knocked the small dragon off her feet.

"Cerigosa..." He took a long pause, intimidating eyes upon her. "You have betrayed me; you have shown me disrespect. Do you think I can just let it go so easily?! Do you think I will let you slide by on a thread for your horrid betrayal?! There is no redemption for you! You love the life of your precious mortals so much, so be it! I will allow you to live amoung them, but you shall never return to the Flight, and you shall never be granted the luxury of eternal life!"

He lifted his claws again, taking another mighty sweep at her. However, this sweep moved over her head; large, thick talons pierced through the scaled extensions that were her wings.

"You have brought this upon yourself!" He cried, through her high-pitched roar of agony. And, with a sharp, upwards movement of his arm, the wings strained before finally, they tore from her back with a sickening 'SNAP!' of bone and 'rrrriiiiip!' of flesh. A scream resounded from the small dragon as she swayed, throwing herself around in the midst of losing her balance from the sheer pain.

Her large form began to shrink - horns, talons, and tails receding - taking the form of the elven woman once more. She curled up on the ground, bare, with one hand over her shoulder, fingers hovering over her back as she sobbed. There were two great fissures over her shoulder blades, the white of bone showing through the blood that spilled like water, pooling beneath her.

"Now, leave my sight!" cried the male dragon, dropping the wings into the distant abyss as he ascended farther away from the platform. "Run to the Life-Bender, and pray that fool Alexstrasza takes severe pity on a banished child!"

With that, the sigils across the platform glowed. The Eye of Eternity followed suit, keeping its place atop a cylindrical portion of the platform, which had begun to pull apart like a puzzle, tipping its pieces this way and that, before the injured elf slid off its surface, tumbling down through air towards the ground.

Farther and farther she fell, the Nexus's structure growing closer. Before she landed upon one of the great spikes of ice, protruding from a platform of the Occulus, a great crimson drake swooped beneath her, taking care to catch the small woman on her back.

"Not to worry, young one," soothed the drake. "Queen Alexstrasza will not turn you away..."

Another female voice echoed within the elf's head. Groaning, she strained to listen. "Be at ease. The Spellweaver will not go unpunished. He has gotten out of hand, but we will protect you, young Cerigosa. When you return to the temple, Lord Itharius shall tend to you and your injuries... Afterwords, we will show you what has recently become of your daughter..."

**A/N || 1) Yes, her mother is a dragon and a former consort of Malygos. 2) No, I don't care if you don't agree, but keep the bashing to yourself, because none of us really want to hear it ;P Jehricka is a half-bred dragon, and for the purpose of not being a douchebag IC, not only isn't she aware of this, but she does not have the ability to animorph herself into a huge lizard, mmk? The only odd traits she has is heightened senses and a high weather tolerance, so don't get yourselves in a tissy. Besides... WHen you pay the $15 a month for my game, then you can tell me how to make this character... :]**


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